Public broadcasting provides valuable commercial-free educational, informational, and cultural programming for communities all across the country. Many communities rely on public broadcasting stations as their only source of news and information. Some even use the public broadcasting system for day-to-day or emergency communications. Public broadcasting connects people with their local community, their nation, and their world in a way that no other outlet can or does. Because American citizens have come to rely on these services and programs, the U.S. Congress has a responsibility to support public broadcasting.

Congressman Earl Blumenauer created the Congressional Public Broadcasting Caucus in the 106th Congress, and currently chairs the bi-partisan Caucus. The Caucus has over 100 members committed to ensuring the continued services of local public television and radio stations.

The Members of the Public Broadcasting Caucus Support:

The Public Broadcasting Caucus has undertaken a variety of activities, including briefings and information sessions on public broadcasting issues, congressional communications and information efforts such as dear colleagues and congressional record statements, and general support for legislative a nd regulatory initiatives that serve to promote and enhance public broadcasting's programming and services.

Learn More About Public Broadcasting

Association of Public Television Stations (APTS) http://www.apts.org/ -- APTS is a nonprofit membership organization that provides advocacy for public television stations at the national level.

Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) http://www.cpb.org -- CPB is a private nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967 and is a source of funding for public broadcasting program development, production and local public radio and television stations across the country.

Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) http://www.pbs.org/ -- PBS is a private, non-profit media enterprise owned and operated by the nation's 349 public television stations, which provides quality TV programming, oversees program acquisition, distribution and promotion; education services; new media ventures; fundraising support; engineering and technology development; and video marketing.

National Public Radio (NPR) http://www.npr.org/ -- NPR is a private, non-profit organization, which provides leadership in national newsgathering and radio production and serves a permanent nationwide interconnection of non-commercial radio stations.

Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) http://www.opb.org -- OPB is an independent not-for-profit public broadcasting corporation that has served communities in Oregon and Southwest Washington for eight decades. It is a successful membership organization, a public broadcaster of radio and television, a content producer and distributor for television, radio and the web, as well as a statewide resource service for teachers and educators.